Return to the Tiger's Den (2)

of talismans and bones to school. My brother went to his medical school campus, while I dragged Jiang Qiyun, the ghost, to class with me.My recent absences have become commonplace, but the new homero...The City God is a natural deity who later became an official position through the bestowal of feudal emperors.

Since there are divine posts, there are terms. Most City God statues have a term of hundreds of years and are mostly appointed by the underworld. They are usually loyal and righteous heroes with great merit.

However, there is also the belief that people can influence the decisions of the underworld. This is what Jiang Qiyun meant by the power of faith.

Popular belief is terrifying. When many people devoutly worship a deity, chanting his virtues and majesty day after day, incense and spiritual energy can move heaven and earth. As such, those who are popular among the masses and favored by public opinion are often appointed to positions of power.

The highest-ranking figure among City Gods is Fuling Mingwang, who possesses the imperial regalia bestowed upon human emperors. This is a privilege unique to the City God of the capital city.

Most city god temples have plaques hanging inside with the inscriptions "national peace and security, favorable weather and abundant harvests, upright and righteous spirit, selfless dedication."

Unfortunately, this time I met this City God. He seems to be a cunning and deceitful old fox.

Xí Língzhōu frowned and said, “Mù Xiǎoqiáo, why don't you speak Do you want to cooperate Please make a statement quickly so I can report back to my master!”

"You witches do anything to get what you want, allied today and betraying tomorrow. Who knows what you desire I need time to consider before I can answer you."

Xi Linzhou puffed up her chest and said, "What my master wants has no use to you! She heard that there is a fox fairy's head sculpture in the box, and she wants to use it to make a vessel."

Fox spirit's first carving

Isn't that just a statue of a fox's head

"This thing is useless to you, isn't it But it's useful to my master, so there won't be any conflict of interest in our cooperation." Xi Linzhou softened her tone.

She was afraid I would refuse her, after all, with their own abilities, they couldn't get this first sculpture.

"Where is that bone box" I asked.

"Word has it that it's buried beneath a phoenix sculpture, quite deep. First, we'd have to move the sculpture itself, which is a bit of a hassle. We need to figure out a way..." she frowned, saying.

I bowed my head in silence, recalling the scene of that day when my brother dragged me away in a desperate flight.

Before fleeing through the side door's secure passage, I detected a strange odor emanating from the stairway leading underground.

That thing should be relocated, moved to a different place during construction.

"Well, Xi Lingzhou, I hope you don't hold us back." I looked at her.

Xi Lingzhou was not convinced: "Who is holding back who Plan it out in detail, don't drag me down!"

Soon after she left, my brother came back.

I thought my brother went to visit a master at a Taoist temple, but he said he finished the visit in the morning and went to Aunt Lin Yanqin's place in the afternoon.

"You're going alone" I asked in surprise.

“Qin Y Toutou went with me. When we were talking, Qin Y Toutou avoided the topic—just as we guessed!”

"Under my questioning, Aunt Lin said that she had secretly hired a local Taoist priest before, but after only a little progress, the priest quit, refusing to do it even for money. That's when she realized the importance of the matter."

I scoffed, "So she sees us as newcomers and wants to take a gamble on us"

"That's exactly what happened. I immediately went off on her, and she apologized verbally, promising us a lot of benefits. She also said that Lin Yanhuan had stopped operating in this business center for now and that we should just clean things up inside... You see."

My brother reached out and pulled out a string of small round cards. Those were proximity keys.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

"She gave me all the important keys—including that one to the underground third floor, the guard room she always forbade anyone from entering." My brother chuckled. "It was worth it to give her a good scolding; she turned as red as beet."

I smiled. Sure enough, as the saying goes, "The kind are often taken advantage of." Auntie Lin probably didn't expect that we would find the problem so quickly.

Upon our return to the business center, we were fully prepared. Even the seven and eight deities had been summoned by me.

Looking at the golden lettering "Corpsemound" on the side door, Seventh Yama chuckled, “What place is so full of hot air Corpsemound Even our underworld doesn't use that name.”

"Seventh Uncle, you don't know, the ghosts here are even more arrogant—even the little errand boys under the Emperor's feet act like they own the place! We outsiders are quite intimidated." My brother laughed as he stuck a few talismans on the door to prevent evil spirits from rushing out.

It's already 10 pm, and there are only a few pedestrians walking on the street. We need to be as discreet as possible.

Last time, the roar of the divine tiger shattered the glass, and as a result, it was categorized under fire safety. Lin Yanhuan happened to be operating the system, posting a notice at the main entrance, which shut down all businesses in the area—including that convenience store.

Bai Qiye chuckled and said, “Under the emperor’s feet~~ The City God of Jing Shi has enjoyed the incense and sacrifices of human emperors for hundreds of years. It’s only been the last hundred years that he hasn't had this treatment. The incense at this Cheng Huang Temple is stronger than anywhere else, of course he has capital to be proud.”

"Your underworld is seriously corrupt and favorsitism rampant, local taxes aren't being sent to the central government" my brother said with a chuckle.

Bai Wu Chang raised his hand, his wide sleeves covering his red lips. He smiled coldly and mischievously: "The corruption and nepotism of the underworld are, in a way, a tribulation for ghosts and gods...hihihi... The word 'Tao' is ineffable, profound beyond words~~"

I somewhat understand what he means. Here, the City God shows favoritism and indulges wrongdoing, which is his karma. When it accumulates to a certain extent, there will naturally be consequences from heaven and earth—even immortals cannot act recklessly, or else the repercussions are no different from humans committing suicide.

"Let's go, we got it." My brother tapped his access card and pulled open the door.

Inside was very dark, only the streetlights outside could let us see the arrangement of the hall, and the staircase was pitch black.

The elevator also stopped, opening its doors to reveal two gaping black holes that looked incredibly eerie.

Xi Linzhou rubbed her own arms, frowned and said: "You guys hurry up, I'm starting to itch."

"Does it itch or not, what does it have to do with us, just stay still!" My brother glared at her.

The two Black and White Marshals drifted before me, clearing the path. With them around, even ghosts would rather hide in cracks in the earth.

"Little Empress, we interrogated the female ghost you brought from the Underworld—she claimed that she was indeed controlled by something in the shopping mall, unable to leave. However, she later found pleasure in harming others and pushed five people, four of whom died horribly."

Hei Wu Chang rarely took the initiative to speak. He was taciturn and only spoke about official matters.

"Did she say anything else About things that nobody here cares about These clerks just turn a blind eye to—"

Before I could finish my words, two puffs of green smoke rose from in front of me. The two little imps were back again.

"Aiyo~ Welcome, Little Lady and the two Generals! This is the first time I've seen your true forms! It's complete, truly complete!" The little demon carrying chains exaggeratedly bowed down, kowtowing to me.

What on earth is he up toe. What a fake!” My brother muttered under his breath."Lin Yanhuan should just be using him, after all, money doesn't mean much to Lin Yanhuan, but it's very important to others." I scoffed.Lin Yanhua...